A gloomy picture for theatres

Mysuru: Theatres are now in their fifth month of the shutdown and even with the lockdown being eased, re-opening of screens seems like a distant dream. Bogged down by high rents, maintenance charges, staff salaries and with no revenue, many of theatres are shutting down in Karnataka's cultural capital – Mysuru.

Already, old cinema houses like Shanthala and Padma in Mysuru have shut down. Sources said Thibbadevi Theatre is on the verge of closure in Mysuru unable to take the severe losses due to the Covid-19 imposed lockdown for the last five months. Sources also said Shobha Theatre in Kollegal is on the brink of closure. Although the theatres have been out of business for five months, there has been no exemption from the Karnataka government with regard to GST Tax, property tax, BMC tax and electricity charges.

While owners of cinema halls across the country are eagerly waiting for resumption of screening movies, theatre owners in Mysuru are not very hopeful of resuming their businesses. Losses during the period are estimated to be around ₹800 crore, three industry experts said, as theatres remained shut for over five months.

"It has been a complete disaster in the last five months. We are paying high rents, taxes and salaries with no revenue. The lockdown has dealt a death knell to the industry," rued the top management of Thibbadevi Theatre. The theatre owners in Mysuru also pointed out that screening movies with 50 per cent occupancy is economically unviable and, therefore, they won't be able to resume operations. Even if the theatres were to open, the owners are apprehensive over the willingness of people to sit inside a closed room for more than two hours given the fear of contracting the infection and also the stigma attached to Covid-19.

It is not just the theatre owners. The hospitality industry too is uncertain over resuming their businesses although the Karnataka government had recently allowed pubs and bars to operate. Several pubs and bars are shutting down in Mysuru unable to bear the brutal blow to their businesses due to the pandemic-forced exile.

In the recent times, several pubs and bars have shut down their businesses including Cuba Pub on Kalidasa Road and Coastal Pearl in Bogadi unable to bear the high rents and other costs such as taxes. The situation is no different for hotel businesses with several of them downing their shutters after incurring heavy losses in the last five months. With a huge decline in the tourist footfall in Mysuru, a major attraction in Karnataka, several hotels had to shut down. According to the industry experts, more than 110 hotels and lodges in and around Mysuru have shut their businesses, including the famous Kamat Hotel.

The lockdown has robbed livelihood of people who depend on solely on the hospitality industry, more than 35 per cent of people in Mysuru depend on tourism. According to estimates, there could be around 440 hotels and nearly 24,500 employees working in the hotels.